If you watched the presidential debate on Tuesday, you may have noticed that John McCain counted a proposed $3 million earmark for a new “overhead projector” at the Adler Planetarium as an example of his opponent’s wasteful pork.
On the theory that all publicity is good publicity, I’m pleased to report that this has spurred some discussion about museum funding on a national level. At the very least, it’s called national attention to the dire state of the equipment at the Adler, which is a vital location of regional and national astronomy education, where the projector hasn’t been replaced for 40 years, and, since the federal government did not approve this request, where the quality of the experience may deteriorate.
The Adler has released a statement, which I’ll quote here since it’s a pdf:
Last night, during the presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, Senator John McCain
made the following statement:
McCain: “While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks he (Senator
Obama) voted for nearly $1 billion in pork barrel earmark projects. Including $3 million for
an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend
that kind of money?”
To clarify, the Adler Planetarium requested federal support – which was not funded – to
replace the projector in its historic Sky Theater, the first planetarium theater in the
Western Hemisphere. The Adler’s Zeiss Mark VI projector – not an overhead projector – is
the instrument that re-creates the night sky in a dome theater, the quintessential
planetarium experience. The Adler’s projector is nearly 40 years old and is no longer
supported with parts or service by the manufacturer. It is only the second planetarium
projector in the Adler’s 78 years of operation.
Science literacy is an urgent issue in the United States. To remain competitive and ensure
national security, it is vital that we educate and inspire the next generation of explorers to
pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Senator McCain’s statements about the Adler Planetarium’s request for federal support do
not accurately reflect the museum’s legislative history or relationship with Senator Obama.
The Adler has approached the Illinois Congressional delegation the last few years for federal
assistance with various initiatives. These have included museum exhibitions, equipment and
educational programs we offer to area schools, including the Chicago Public Schools.
We have made requests to Senators Durbin and Obama, as well as to 6 area Congressmen
from both political parties. We are grateful that all of the Members we have approached,
including Senator Obama, have deemed our activities worthy of their support, and have
made appropriations requests on our behalf, as they have for many worthy Illinois nonprofit
organizations.
As a result of the hard work of our bipartisan congressional delegation, the Adler has been
fortunate to receive a few federal appropriations the past couple of years.
However, the Adler has never received an earmark as a result of Senator Obama’s efforts.
This is clearly evidenced by recent transparency laws implemented by the Congress, which
have resulted in the names of all requesting Members being listed next to every earmark in
the reports that accompany appropriations bills.
October 8, 2008
October 9, 2008 at 5:35 pm
[…] heard it too, you might be interested in “the rest of the story.” This comes from the Public Historian blog: If you watched the presidential debate on Tuesday, you may have noticed that John McCain […]
October 10, 2008 at 3:02 pm
[…] Public Historian : Museums in the news: about that projector […]
October 11, 2008 at 8:51 am
One point that maybe has not been made by the politicians is that in today’s economy we must frugalize sometimes. Is there another, cheaper option for a project of another kind that may still work but save the taxpayers some money? Why does it have to be this really expensive projector?
October 20, 2008 at 9:09 am
Well, the core of a planetarium is its projector. There’s not many other options in terms of the technology, but the real other option is to get foundation or corporate money for it.
November 12, 2008 at 3:27 am
I found your blog via http://www.librarian.net/stax/2486/2008-debates-i-am-a-sucker-for-sexy-factchecking/
I think it’s important to develope our culture and therefor it’s important to invest in something reasonable. And Zeis is great. What I am angry about is the eyewash politicians make out of it, dear Mr. McCain;)